Reuben (Bayless) Bayles (1754 - 1826)

Born 21 Jun 1754 in Kingston, Middlesex, New Jersey

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 3 Nov 1826 at age 72 in Jonesborough, Washington, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

Reuben (Bayless) Bayles performed Patriotic Service in North Carolina in the American Revolution.

Reuben (Bayless) Bayles is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A201520.

Reuben (Bayless) Bayles was a New Netherland Descendant 1674-1776. Join: New Netherland Settlers Project Discuss: new_netherland

Reuben Bayless, the son of Daniel Bayles and Joanna Lake, was born June 21, 1754 and died November 3, 1826. He married Margaret ____ who was born June 13, 1757 and died March 1, 1828. Reuben served in the Revolution.^[1]

Reuben Baylies made the oath of Allegiance in order to make land entry in Washington County 5-3-1779. He lived Loudoun Co., Virginia, then Washington Co., NC. The DAR acknowledges his patriotic service. ^[2]

He was christened on 14 Jul 1754 at the First Presbyterian Church, Cranbury, Middlesex, New Jersey. ^[3]

One site indicates that he married Margaret Lucas on 5 Mar 1778 in Cecil County, Virginia. ^[4]

"Even though information regarding the family of Reuban Bayless is scarce, his land holdings are well documented. He entered Land Grant #542 in 1793 for 200 acres of land located on the drain of Brown's branch of the Nolichucky River. This land was sold to the settlers by the State of North Carolina at the rate of 50 shillings for every hundred acres. He added to the original purchase through the years and eventually owned considerable acreage. He either built or operated a ferry near his home as in 1795, George North was appointed "overseer of the road from Jonesboro to the Reuban Bayless ferry on the Nolichucky River." Apparently, he built a comfortable home in which he, his wife and two daughters were living at the time of his death. Reuben and Margaret Bayless are buried in the cemetery of the Cherokee Baptist Church. The inscriptions are not now legible but, with the help of a census in the Jonesboro Library, they are easily located. " ^[5] The Nolichucky River flows through Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is a tributary of the French Broad River. During the 1770s, European Americans established the "Nolichucky settlements" in what is now Greene County, Tennessee.

Courthouse records indicate he had ten children. He wrote his will on 26 July 1826. ^[6]

Children

• Daniel L married Mary Ireland
• John married Elizabeth Hunt
• George L. married Hannah Goulder
• Margaret 'Peggy' married James White
• Elizabeth married Isaac Hendley (Henley)
• Reuben, Jr. married Sarah Young
• Rebecca
• Zethia (Luthy)
• Samuel
• Mary married Thomas Wood

• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Addition added by PJMA: Eleven children are listed for Reuben Bayless and wife in the Bayless Family Bible. The writing is absolutely beautiful and legible. Only a few have dates. The child missing per the family Bible is Hannah. I belive Zethia listed in the old family Bible is the same as Leathy. I am from the region and a name such as Cynthia would have ben prounounced "Cinthy" and likewise a name such as Zethia would have been prounounced "Zethy". Thus, the nickname could have become "Leathy". There is no Leathy" in the family Bible so the closest to that name would be the formal name Zethia. I believe they are one and the same.

Reuben Bayless, son of Johannah Lake and Daniel Bayless owned land in Washington County, Tennessee per Land Grant #541, Vol. 1, pg. 550, and Washington Co. court minutes volume one, pg. 557, he was a large land owner. Reuben first purchased two hundred acres on Brown Branch near the Nolichucky River. He also had 311 acres in Carter County, and five hundred more acres in Washington Co. Tenn. Part of this land was in a mountainous cove which contained deposits of iron, manganese and zinc. According to court records, he was a slave owner. He was the father of (1) George Lucas Bayless 1796Va. - 1857 Ala. (2) Daniel Lucas Bayless and (3) John Lucas Bayless were twins. They were born 23-12-1780. Daniel Lucas died 14-2-1867 in TN. John Lucas died in the 1850's in Ala. (4) Mary Bayles 1782-1863Albany N.Y. (5) Reuben Lucas Bayless ca1784-1824Ala. (6) Rebecca Bayless 12 Oct. 1793 - 18-8-1862 Tenn. (7) Ann Bayless born ca 179_and died in Carter Co. TN. (8) Margaret Bayless (ca1795- )moved to Monroe Co. TN before 1840 having married ca 1820 to James White. (9) Luthy Bayless (ca1797- )She probably married in Tennessee to Peter Hunt.

Parthenia Bayless Bagwell, wife of Flurney O. Bagwell of Union Parish, La. in the 1850's and 60's was the daughter of number one, George Lucas Bayless.

This information has been taken from:

Washington County, TN court minutes Vol. 1 pg. 557 The Baylis Family of Va. by Blum, pgs. 16-19 (1958) Our Baylis Family from Long Island and New Jersey of Tennessee & Ala. by O'Connell. 1985 The Bayles Family of Long Island and New York by Green Bayless of Houston, Texas in 1944. See page 25 and 26. (Ref. 40) his info. was furnished by Mrs. Mary Ross Headman. Mrs. Headman states that at each stop in his migrations Daniel left powers of attorney telling where he was going. She also furnished a tracing of his signature, spelled Daniel Bayles. Most of his descendants seem to have spelled it Bayless. The date of births of the children are from a family bible record. This book was written in 1944 before researchers had access to copy machines. The family bible was owned by C. H. David, N. Los Robies, Pasadena, California. Washington County Tennessee Deed Bk. Vol. 1, pg. 550 Cherokee Baptist Church Cemetery in Washington Co. TN. Tennessee Cousins by Ray Worth. Early Tennessee Baptists (1769-1832) by O. W. Taylor

From the above records I glean that the children of Johannah Lake and Daniel Bayless (Jr) were all born in New Jersey.

The dates and birth of the children are from a family Bible record furnished by Mrs. Mary Hoss Headman. (See page 25-26 The Bayles Families of Long Island & New Jersey by Howard Green Bayles. Taken from Ancestors of Parthenia Bayless Bagwell contributed by Sherry Gritzbaugh.

He passed away at the age of 72 in 1826. Burial at Cherokee Community Cemetery, Jonesborough, Washington, Tennessee, United States. Find A Grave: Memorial #6043823

Sources

1. ↑ Howard Green Bayles, “The Bayles Families of Long Island and New Jersey and their Descendants”, Houston, 1944, page 26.
2. ↑ Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 9 Oct 2021), "Record of BAYLIES, REUBEN", Ancestor # A201520.
3. ↑ New Jersey, Births and Christenings Index, 1660-1931, FHL Film Number 982045
4. ↑ https://www.anamericanfamilyhistory.com/TennesseeFamilies&Places/Bayless%20Family.html
5. ↑ https://www.family-genealogy-online.com/little/bayless.htm
6. ↑ Washington, Tennessee Will Books, Vol 1-2, pp. 181-182

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 03 November 2020, 01:37), entry for Reuben Bayless(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LZPR-VG7); contributed by various users.
• https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LZPR-VG7/reuben-bayless-1754-1826